TCETBlog

By Art Rekhtin, PMP, OCELT.

So, you have booked an appointment at an official Assessment Centre to have your English or French language skills tested and be referred to a government-funded language training program. Now What? You have been given basic information about your appointment, the type of ID you will need to bring, directions to the assessment centre, and told that your appointment might be up to 4 hours in duration. You may now be wondering how to prepare for this assessment and make the best use of the time you have before the date of your test. It is not unusual for people to get nervous or even stressed in the anticipation of a test. It is normal if you are feeling that way, and it usually means that the language assessment is important to you. There are at least 3 ways in which the Canadian Language Benchmarks Online Self-Assessment (CLB-OSA: www.clb-osa.ca) can help you get better prepared for the official CLB assessment, control your stress levels, and perform well on the test:

The purpose of your resume is to get a job interview. That is why your resume has to be tailored to the job description, achievement-oriented, and error-free. Here’s how you can write a resume that gives the employer confidence in inviting you to interview.

Gather your keywords. When you read the job description, write down the keywords that are used most often, and then include them in your work experience bullet points. Hiring managers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) use keywords to short-list candidates.

A chronological resume is better. Employers know that candidates use functional resumes when they have gaps in their employment history, and that is why this strategy does not always work. If you have gaps in your career history, fill them with project-based, academic or volunteering activities.